| Name | Padma Bhushan |
|---|---|
| Type | Civilian Awards |
| Award For | Distinguished Service of a High order |
| Award By | Goverment of India |
| First | 1954 |
| Last | 26th January 2026 |
| Status | Active |
| Country | India |
Only nine Padma Bhushan awards were conferred in 1981, one of the smallest lists of the decade. Missile scientist A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, later India's President, and filmmaker Mrinal Sen, fresh off international acclaim for his cinema, were among the most prominent honorees. Astronomer Vainu Bappu, Odia novelist Gopinath Mohanty, and Hindi writer Amritlal Nagar also featured. No foreign nationals or posthumous awards appeared that year, making 1981 a compact, entirely India-based list spanning science, literature, and film.
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order, without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex".
This Winners List features 9 winners of the Padma Bhushan Award 1981, in 1981.
| Image | Year | Recipient Name | Gender | State, Country | Fields |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1981 |
Dr. Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu
|
male | Tamil Nadu, India | Science & Engineering |
|
1981 |
Dr. Prafulla Bhagubhai Desai
|
male | Maharashtra, India | Medicine |
|
|
1981 |
Mekhala Jha
|
male | Bihar, India | Social Work |
|
1981 |
Avul Pakir Jinalabdeen Abdul Kalam
Also won:
Padma Vibhushan
|
male | Delhi, India | Civil Service |
|
1981 |
Gopi Nath Mohanty
|
male | Odisha, India | Literature & Education |
|
|
1981 |
Dr. Prabhat Kumar Mukherjee
|
male | West Bengal, India | Civil Service |
|
1981 |
Amritlal Nagar
|
male | Uttar Pradesh, India | Literature & Education |
|
1981 |
Mrinal Sen
|
male | West Bengal, India | Arts |
|
1981 |
Avabai Bomanji Wadia
|
female | Maharashtra, India | Social Work |
This chart groups 9 Padma Bhushan Award 1981 winners by Gender, across 2 distinct entries — male leads with 8 wins.
This chart groups 9 Padma Bhushan Award 1981 winners by Fields, across 6 distinct entries — Social Work leads with 2 wins.
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